Potential Extra Cost Currently Unknown

In addition to those who don’t get Social Security benefits, new Medicare enrollees and those who pay higher Medicare premiums because of high income also are excluded from the protection. CSRS retirees didn’t earn Social Security coverage while federal employees and thus don’t get a benefit from that system, although some of them do receive a Social Security benefit due to other employment or self-employment. It’s estimated that above half of CSRS retirees would be hit by the higher premium. The situation has occurred before, in 2010 and 2011, when those retirees and others excluded from the protection paid about an extra $20 a month toward Medicare. The potential difference for 2016 won’t be known until late October, when both Medicare rates and the Social Security COLA are to be finalized. Federal employee organizations and retiree interest groups are gearing up to work to prevent the disparity through legislation, although a similar attempt failed for 2010 and 2011.